More than 300 members of Fort Bend County’s Indian community gathered on June 28 at the Rosenberg campus of the nonprofit Universal Shraddha Foundation (USF) to celebrate the annual chariot festival, or ratha yatra, one of Hinduism’s most colorful and cherished traditions.
The ancient festival originated in the coastal city of Puri, in India’s Odisha state, and commemorates the Hindu god Krishna – also known as Jagannath – and his two siblings. Once a year, their idols are placed in a richly decorated chariot and brought outside the temple, symbolizing a divine visit among the people.
“So it’s basically a festival that is for Jagannath,” said Debashri Panda, 10, a student at Katy ISD’s Woodcreek Elementary. “They take him for a ride, he goes on a ride, then everybody celebrates.”…